The Beer Nut: Welcome to New England, New Holland

Wednesday

Jun 25, 2014 at 12:41 PMJun 25, 2014 at 12:41 PM

By Norman MillerDaily News staff

A few years ago, on a trip to Pennsylvania, I got a chance to try some beers from New Holland Brewing Company, enjoyed them and was disappointed that they weren't available in Massachusetts.That has now changed. The Holland, Michigan, company has recently started distributing its lineup of beers to Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, the brewery's first foray into New England."New England and beer have a great history together," New Holland co-founder and President Brett VanderKamp said in a press release. "Our forefathers were beer lovers. This is where they hung out over some pints and planned a revolution. We think craft beer pairs particularly well with historical references and social uprisings."New Holland was founded in 1997, and along with brewing, they also own a brewpub and distill several liquors.New Holland's beers are all worth seeking out. Of the ones I have tried, not one of them is anything but fantastic for the style.The brewery's most famous beer is the Mad Hatter, a 5.8 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) India pale ale. This is a hoppy IPA with flowery and citrusy flavors and a sweet, almost biscuit-like, malt backbone.The popularity of Mad Hatter has spawned a series of Hatter-related beers. They include the Black Hatter, a 5.07 percent ABV black IPA, which adds roasted, almost coffee-like, flavors to the IPA.Another Hatter that is also available here is the Oak Aged Hatter, which is a 7.22 percent ABV IPA aged in Kentucky oak barrels. The oak adds some vanilla and toasty notes that mellow the bitterness, and brings out some fabulous malt flavors.In general, I have not been a fan of the new trend of white IPAs, a style of beer that blends the characteristics of a Belgian-style witbier and an IPA. I find the spices used in witbiers don't blend well with the hoppy characteristics of an IPA.However, I really enjoyed the White Hatter, New Holland's take on the white IPA. The flavors blended smoothly, rather than fighting and clashing on the palate. This was an extremely refreshing IPA.Although the Hatter beers are the most well-known, New Holland's best beer is probably the Dragon's Milk, a 11 percent ABV bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout.The Dragon's Milk is truly a world-class beer. It stands up to any other stout on the market today. It has a lot of vanilla flavor from the oak barrel, coffee-like roastiness, chocolate notes and a bit of booze from the barrel and the high-alcohol content. This is a kind of beer you could drink now, or age for a year or two.Other beers available in New England include the Poet, a cream and smooth 5.2 percent ABV oatmeal stout and the Monkey King Saison, a refreshing and fruity saison that comes in at 6.6 percent ABV.Email Norman Miller at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at blogs.wickedlocal.com/beernut. Follow him on Twitter at @realbeernut. Also check out "Norman Miller, The Beer Nut" on Facebook.